Typecon 2015 – A Meet-up for Type Tycoons

Mehreen Siddiqua Aug 13, 2015

This is an opportunity you just can’t afford to miss. Whether you are a student of lettering or have already specialized in it, this conference has a wealth of information that is hard to find in books. Because the TypeCon 2015 program brings forth experiences of typographers who will present their stories. And trust me, they play with words all the time, they know how to narrate a story close to their heart.

This event is conducted and co-ordinated by the Society of Typographic Aficionados (SOTA) who are holding this year’s conference in Denver, Colorado from 12th to 16th August. It will cover presentations and workshops aimed at enlightening and educating the audience about the new trends and techniques of typography where the participants will get to learn from the experiences of some of the great designers of this time.

However what really caught my attention were the death metal inspired typographic logos by Christophe Scpajdel. The event that is underway will feature two of these designs on t-shirts.

Participants and speakers

Marian Bantjes

The presence of Marian Bantjes is expected on this event. She is well known graphic designer who works from Vancouver. Follow her:

Max Phillips

Max is a jack of all traits who love to play with letters, and has a nag for designing user interfaces. Though he specializes in typeface, he has worked with branding systems and produced toys. Connect with him:

Meta Newhouse

Yet another graphic designer who will grace this event. She is also a film maker and creative director with more than 20 years of experience in visual communication. You can connect with her on twitter:

Jason Cambell

He is an experienced type developer associated with companies like Agfa and Monotype and spent a long time working as a comic artist. Let’s see what he will have to share from his experiences. Connect with him:

Joseph Alessio

He is a lettering artist and typographic illustrator who like to present typography in a unique way. Let’s see what this creative intellectual has in store for the viewers. Connect with dynamic artist:

Nikki Villagomez

She is not just good with lettering but also good with words. She is recognized on a national level as a speaker on typography. She has been the president of the South Carolina chapter of AIGA. We are expecting her opinion and smart analysis on how culture affects typography. Connect with her on twitter:

Shiva Nallaperumal

The winner of 2015 Catalyst award would also be joining us to share his insights on typeface designing and illustrations. He holds a massive experience on designing exhibitions, identity systems, various publications and unique typefaces for various clients.

Dave Addey

He covers typography and design for science fiction movies. His proudest moment is being described as “Terrifyingly, Wonderfully Geeky” by Gizmodo after publishing a 5,000 word treatise on the typography of Alien. Follow him on twitter:

Richard Brath

Richard is interested in the underlying design assumptions upon which data visualization is based. He is a data visualization researcher and designer who is currently pursuing his Phd. We will all enjoy what he has to present this time.

Topics to be covered in presentations

The conference is not just a display of unique ideas but also applies address the various problems faced by typographers and designers at large. You will get to see a diverse range of topics covered in this conference. Listed below are a few of those.

How culture affects typography

The history of non-Latin typeface development at Adobe

Re-imagining Farsi writing systems

Making pulp paperbacks in digital era

Creative mark making

Font tgroubleshooting

Lettering comics

Monograms from the Gramlee collection

Czech type design

Building brands with type and architecture

Workshop

TypeCon Wrap-up

An interesting episode of #typecon comes to end. It was deemed as an interesting occasion for type nerds to share insightful presentations and engage in intelligent discussions. Jason Campbell Lettering Comics stole the show whereas the #typequiz was an anxiety buster. All in all, the presenters and the event itself was a prolific addition to type knowledge.

We are waiting for an update or wrap-up from @typecon. Till then keep checking our latest in trends.

Mehreen is a social media buff and design blogger, who keeps a keen eye on graphic design trends. She has a passion for experimenting with design ideas, and wouldn’t mind if it means going out of her way to find them in Timbuktu. Follow her on twitter for daily inspirations and findings.
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